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FESTIVE gloom spread across the business community after plans for the town’s first-ever continental Christmas were scrapped.

The three-day French and Continental market, Bruno Mart, was booked ready for the annual lights switch-on event in the hope that it would boost Christmas spirit and encourage shoppers during the festive season.

But organisers pulled the plug when negotiations with Cheshire East Council hit deadlock over funding.

Wilmslow Business Group, which had been planning the event since March came up against unforseen costs after talks with Cheshire East’s town centre manager Diane Smith.

Chairman of Wilmslow Business Group, Dave Bolton, said traders were upset and disappointed" that the market had to be axed.

He said they had only recently been told that they would have to stump up extra cash for such things as protective tracking for the ground.

He said: "We have been given lots of other costs that we just cannot afford and we’ve been told that the planning stage overran and that we needed to have started things much earlier.

"Added extras such as special tracking to protect the grass where the stalls would stand has bumped the costs up considerably.

"We have been planning this for the past eight months Everything was booked and all set to go ahead, I just wish we knew all this beforehand before getting people’s hopes up.

"And unfortunately the council itself has no funds that it can bail us out with."

But he added: "We have already put aside money towards the market for next year and next time we will start planning in January to make sure we have enough time.

"We will also be getting people from the council involved from the start so that this does not happen again. If it should happen and it doesn't go ahead, we can then hold these people to account."

The market, which was to be held on council land on Little Lindow, on Altrincham Road, for three days from November 26 would have seen around 20 stall holders offering up a whole host of other Gallic goodies such as cheese, cooked meats, garlic, olives, chocolates, pancakes, cider and a range of crafts and traditional gifts.

Businessman Stuart Pearce, from Nether Alderley, who represents Champagne producer Bertrand Delespierre in the UK, said: "It is really disappointing after it was trumpeted in the local paper that the market was coming to Wilmslow. It seemed like a nice idea. Everyone’s doing it and Wilmslow is behind the times. It would have been great for the company I represent and I was hoping to get involved in it in some way."

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council said considerable time and support has been given.

"The nature and location of the event has been endlessly debated until finally, the group’s own operator decided, in September, it was not viable at Little Lindow.

In October the council was informed that discussions were underway with another operator, but we were not made directly aware that the market had been cancelled until this week.

"The council is already supporting other activities, such as the Christmas lights and switch-on event. Supporting town centres is a key priority.

With regard to costs, the group was advised that the hire cost of the site was the standard charge for any market operator."